


Silver Scales

by shattered_sian



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: AU, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Dark, Hurt/Comfort, Kinda?, Memories, Merpeople AU, Thor is a dick to his brother, cryptid, merman stephen strange, prince stephen strange, young loki, young merperson Stephen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-29
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-07-04 06:14:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15835422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shattered_sian/pseuds/shattered_sian
Summary: Loki finds a merperson washed up on the beach. Whatever happened to that silver-scaled prince?





	Silver Scales

**Author's Note:**

> This took a turn...

 

Loki had always heard stories as a boy, fairy tales and legends of creatures living in the wilderness that were beyond imagination, but he always understood them as just that- fairy tales. His mother told tales of goblins and fairies and magnificent water beasts with powerful fins and gils.

It wasn’t until he was an adolescent that he discovered that some of these creatures weren’t as false as he’d come to understand.

It had been a rather hot mid-morning in Asgard, he and Thor had gotten into it again. It was over something rather small and it had been resolved quickly, but Loki was upset regardless. When things were tense in the palace he would escape to one of three places: his bedchambers, the palace library, or, if the weather permitted, the shore of the lake. 

His mother was never a fan of his lakeside trips, but she was also never one to impede any space he may have needed, so she would simply warn him to be careful and watch him as he left. This day wasn’t unusual, the weather was cloudy, but it didn’t feel likely to storm, but a bitter wind blew past him occasionally, making him tug his cloak a bit closer. 

He’d only just made it to the shore of the seemingly boundless lake when something caught his eye. Something peachy, flesh-like in a way- a person?

Loki panicked a bit at the washed-up figure. He was young, much like himself, hair dark but trimmed. As he approached, the young god noticed something strange about the boy. Were those... _ scales _ ?

“By the Allfather...:” He muttered to himself, eyes raking over the other boy properly as he knelt beside him. Sure enough, silvery scales adorned patches of his arms, leading down to his webbed fingers. Loki looked further down toward the lip of the water, curiously inspecting the scale-clad tail. The scales were pearlescent and silver, much like the ones on his arms, but larger and more fully shaped. 

His fingers trembled as he reached out to touch the webbing between the boy- well, merboy’s fingers. The flesh was softer than even the fine silks of the palace, smooth and warm and nearly inviting. 

It’s then that the merboy’s eyes shot open, panicking Loki further as the merboy’s other hand reached over and grasped at his wrist, holding it firm. The god tried to tug away, but couldn’t shake the creature’s strength. 

“Please, let go of my creature! I’m sorry, I-”

“Who are you?”

Loki’s panic halted for a moment, replaced by surprise. 

“You speak Asgardian, creature?”

“Stephen?” It was more of a question than a statement, the merboy himself seemed puzzled by it. “I believe my name is Stephen.” 

The god gently pulled his arm out of the- out of  _ Stephen’s _ grip. “I’m Loki. Prince of Asgard.” 

Stephen didn’t seem interested in anything other than his surroundings. “Where are we? How did that storm push me so far?” He wondered aloud as his eyes scanned the horizon. 

“I suppose it did.” Loki replied half-mindedly, busy himself with inspecting Stephen’s tail. “I didn’t know you creatures existed for real.”

Stephen huffed at the word “creature”, but didn’t comment. “And I thought princes didn’t leave the palace.” 

“We’re princes, we do as we please.” Loki corrected, hand reaching out again to trace the scales of Stephen’s tail.

“I’m a prince too you know?” The merboy muttered, eyes downcast, as if he were reliving a bad memory. Loki felt the urge to ask, but resisted. 

“Should you get home then?”  

“I suppose so.” Stephen replied, twisting his body to see how far out of the water he’d washed out- which turned out to be a significant amount. “Can you help me?”

Loki nodded, standing up before dusting off his sandy knees. “How?”

“Can you put me back in the water?” He asked, slightly ashamed of the need. The god nodded again, weighing his options. 

“Should I carry you?” He offered, not seeing any better option. The merboy looked shy, but nodded anyways. Something about it made Loki’s heart leap. He hoped that he would be able to see him again- that silver merboy prince. 

But he never did.

And as he feels a thick fist curl around his neck he knows he never will.

He looks into Thanos’ eyes as the fist tightens, he wonders briefly what became of his merman prince- did it make it home? Did he ever think of Loki? 

Because Loki knows he’ll die thinking of him.

And strangely, he’s alright with that. 

**Author's Note:**

> shattered-sian.tumblr.com


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